Machine for cleaning grain



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1..

R. MoLAIN.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING GRAIN. No. 355,546. Pate ed Jan: 4, 1887.

ITJV'ESSES (No Model.) '2 SheetsSheet 2..

R. MGLA'IN'.

MACHINE FOR, CLEANING GRAIN.

No..355 ,546. I Patented Jan. 4, 1887.

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UNITED ST TE PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH MOLAIN, OF ONTARIO, INDIANA.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING GRAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,546, dated January 4, 1887.

' Application filed March 5, 1886. Serial No. 194,138. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH MOLAIN, a citi-- zen of the United States, residing. at Ontario,

in the county of La Grange and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cleaning Grain; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, ref-- lar view of the shoe; and Fig. 5 is ahorizontal section taken on line 3 y, Fig. 1.

My invention relates to grain-cleaners; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring byletter to the accompanying drawings, A designates the frame of the machine, the dimensions of said frame being preferably three feet in length, twenty-one inches in width, and thirty-eight inches in height; but these dimensions may be varied, if desired.

B designates a hopper, which is located at the upper portion and front end of the machine, and is provided in its vertical end B with a slide, B which works in vertical ways B within the hopper, and is used to regulate the supply of grain that is to be fed to the sieves below the hopper through the vertical flue B, which is open at its lower end and communicates at its upper end with the front ends of the two horizontal side flues, B B, which fines open into the fan-chamber H through openings H H in the ends of the fan-chamber around the fanshaft, and said side flues, B B connect at their rear ends with the vertical flue O.

O designates a vibratory shoe, which is secured to the upper ends of vertical flexible legs D D, the lower ends of said legs being secured to transverse lower bars, D" D intermediate of the ends of the frame. This vibratory shoe 0 has downwardlyand inwardly inclined sides of sheet metal, which connect with a middle horizontal strip, 0, of wood, and this wooden strip is provided near its lower end with a dischargespout, E, for the sand and dirt to pass off from the shoe. Secured in place (by pins a passed up through holes b) upon this vibratory shoe 0 is a sieve, F, having a discharge-spout, F, near its lower end, which spout discharges in the direction opposite to that in which the spout E discharges.

Upon the sieve F a second sieve, G, having larger meshes than the sieve F, is placed and held in place by pins G, or the like, and at its upper end the bottom of this sieve Gris imperforate, or is closed, so that the grain may not pass through it when it first leaves the hopper. Other sieves of smaller or larger meshes may be employed to suit the kind of grain that is to be cleaned by the machine.

In the rear of the hopper is the fan-chamber H, within which is mounted the rotary fan or -blower H, which is driven by a belt, H running from the-larger band-wheel H on the driving-shaft H motion being imparted to said driving-shaft by a cranked gear wheel or pulley, I, the teeth of which engage a pinion, I, on the driving-shaft H*.

The vibratory shoe 0 is connected at its upper end by a spring pitman-rod, L, to atransverse crank-shaft, L, secured in bearings L L, connected to the uprights at the front end of the frame. The crankshaft L is provided at one end with a small pulley,'M, and this pulleyis connected by a belt, M, to the smaller pulley on the drivingshaft H.

The fan-chamber H is provided at its upper portion with a rearwardly-extended dischargefiue, N. The vertical flue-O is provided in its front wall,near its lower end,with a transverse her will be drawn up through the rear flue, O, to the fan-chamber H, and will be blown out at the discharge-flue N. lhe vertical flue 0 has a slide, 0, in its rear wall, which may be opened to regulate the draft in said flue.

This grain-cleaner takes the place of the fanning-mill usually employed in cleaning grain, and is adaptable to all kinds of grain.

Having described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. A grain-cleaning machine comprising the lateral horizontal parallel flues B B, arranged in the upper portion of the main frame, the fan-chamber arranged between the respective flues and having communication therewith, the flue B, having communication at its lower end with the hopper and at its upper portion with the said lateral flues, the slide for adjusting the opening between the said hopper and vertical flue B, the sieves F and G, having the discharge F, the shoe 0, having thespout lead.

ing from its bottom central portion and supported on flexible legs, the crank-shaft and pitman-rod connecting the same with the shoe, the vertical flue 0, open at its lower end, and the spout P, secured to and communicating with the lower portion of the said flue O and adapted to receive from the sieves, substantiallyas specified.

2. A grain-cleaning machine, substantially as described, comprising the lateral horizontal parallel flues B B, arranged in the upper portion of the main frame, the fan-chamber arranged between the said flues and having communication therewith, the hopper,the flue B, having communication at its lower end with the hopper, and the slide for adjusting the opening between the hopper and flue B, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I-aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH MoLAIN. Witnesses:

J AMES M. KEITH, JAMES C. RossMAN. 

